Mud minnows are bait of choice for big flatfish
For lots of people, nothing can beat a nice piece of flounder. Baked, blackened, fried or broiled, it’s a mild-tasting fish that goes perfect with just about anything. To catch the tasty morsels this time of year, the place to be is Murrell’s Inlet, and fishing mud minnows on medium-action tackle seems to be the ticket, according to Jessica Perry, co-owner of Perry’s Bait and Tackle.
“The people catching the most flounder lately are definitely using mud minnows” Perry said. “A lot of people like to use the jumbo size – a lot of fishermen swear by them – but … I’ve heard people catching them on smaller bait as well.”
Perry (843-651-2895) suggests drifting slowly in the backwaters using a tandem rig. Fishing the main channel lately has mainly resulted in bluefish – not many flounder.
“Most of the fish being caught are in the smaller creeks,” Perry said. “Garden City Canal and Oaks Creek have been producing good fish. People have also been catching a few flounder on the north jetty. They’re not as big or plentiful, but if you fish the incoming tide, you can catch them.”
If you happen to hit a lull in the fishing, Perry suggests sticking it out since the fish are typically caught when the water is moving, one way or the other.
“Most people are fishing the rising (tide), but there are some who fish the falling tide,” Perry said. “It’s not quite as productive, but you can still catch fish.”
Over the past few days, Perry said her husband, Eric, has been catching finger mullet in the inlet. While mud minnows may be the go-to bait, a mullet might be just the answer you’re looking for if you like a surprise at the end of your line. Speckled trout, red and black drum and even a cobia or two have been caught in the past couple days, although that’s unusual for the area this time of year.
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